


The Light That Binds Us

by LightSnow_chan



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Heavy Angst, Lawyer!Sanji, Multi, Murder Mystery, Musician!Luffy, Past Child Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Slow Burn, Suicide Attempt, police!zoro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-13 07:14:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18464062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightSnow_chan/pseuds/LightSnow_chan
Summary: Soulmates are just people who will tie you down and take your freedom away. Roronoa Zoro finds all that bullshit. He never believes in anything like destiny, as his job as a special agent is already too much to handle. More so adding his lunatic set of friends. Things will change when a certain man goes over the speed limit and Zoro finds his soulmate at last. Not that he cares, though.Until he does, apparently.His soulmate is found in the persona of a violent and foul-mouthed blonde, who turns out to be a fucking attorney, who also, in a twisted way of fate, a suspect in a murder case he is tasked to investigate.Yep. Zoro’s life is shitty.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Eyo, just another soulmate AU I am bringing y'all. It's also gonna consist of a lot of dangerous topics like murder, anything related to it, heinous crimes, abusive families, psychological disorders, pop stars, college students and many more things. I'm warning you beforehand that I won't be writing smut lol. Implied, maybe but unfortunately nothing in this fic. This is purely plot and a lot of mystery solving. A lot of dead people, though.
> 
> Disclaimer: One Piece is Oda's. I am not a psychologist, nor a lawyer, nor a police officer, nor a doctor. Please inform me if you're one of these professions so I can correct any mistakes about them.

_Prologue_  

 

There was smoke, everywhere he would turn his head. His throat was burning, as if it was made of sandpaper. Fire was also around, and he wouldn't have known if not because of the scorched flesh in his outstretched leg. He also noticed how he could not open his left eye, and warm liquid was trickling from it down to his cheek and chin. Strangely, that wasn't painful enough. It was his heart, which clenched so tightly in his chest and he just knew it wasn't because of the smoke, nor the fire. Not even the smell of burning clothes, flesh, wood and some other thing had inflicted him pain. 

 

There was something more, he couldn't point it out… Not until his eye had landed on the weight slumped heavily on his folded leg. Looking at _him_ made his heart hurt even more, that he had heard himself scream, as if tearing the sky with his heartbreaking cry. Was that wail from himself? Why was he feeling so _broken_ , as if the world had practically crumbled before him? He felt like he had lost _everything_ he had. The misery consuming his very being was too much, and even so knowing the presence of someone… 

 

_Him_. He would once again look down, ever making him cry in agony. The man was all covered with stinky blood, his head lying limply on his thigh while the rest of him slumped on the floor, his limbs not looking better than his head. He would shakily reach a hand on the man’s damp hair, weakly trying to remove it away from his face. That hand had a faintly glowing ring around his finger and somehow, its existence made everything even more agonizing. The other man’s hand, loosely - _lifelessly_ \- holding onto his other hand, also had the light, only that he could see how both lights were slowly and steadily vanishing. 

 

_As if dying_. 

 

He had been reaching towards the other limp hand, their barely glowing rings clanking very softly against each other as he laid it on his cheeks, feeling how warm and cold it was at the same time. 

 

_Crying_. His _soul_ was crying. The pain he had was excruciating, that he was feeling _so_ _helpless_. He wished he could just die already, whatever this was. A _nightmare_ he never wished to happen. 

 

As the hand he was caressing appeared to be heavier, he held onto it even tightly, feeling how soft and delicate it was. 

 

“I…” 

 

He heard himself try to articulate, the sound coming from his throat like a keen. There was just pain all over him, that he was terrified that he was losing the person before him. The thought even intensified the suffering of his already battered heart, making him howl in desperation. 

 

“... love you.” 

 

The words escaped his mouth, the hand of the person dropping uselessly on him. The glow of the ring had been flicking, until it finally dimmed out, like a star losing its light. 

 

__________

 


	2. So I met an asshole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overspeeding rider ruined Zoro’s peaceful life. 
> 
> Forever.

_Chapter 1: So I met an asshole_

__________

Did he ever mention how _shitty_ his life was? With so much mosquitoes hovering around him, begging him to slap them to death, he could only remember one thing that ruined his week. 

How his supposedly _father_ made him take such a punishment was beyond him. The bastard deserved that punch. Not because they were police officers would that fucker use that authority to corner people. 

And so, the lieutenant of the intelligence division of Task Force Alpha of the Grand Line Police had now found himself swarmed by insects in a deserted highway in the middle of the night. Roronoa Zoro was not trained to be _here_ , as a checkpoint police. He had to be in _action_ , in the _field_. But life was a joke, he hadn't even had a decent sleep since he kept having that nightmare. 

That nightmare about somebody _dying_ in his arms and as far as he could squint, it was his _soulmate_. He kept looking at his left ring finger and it still wasn't lit like everybody who had seen theirs. Zoro hadn't met his supposedly other half and he had no plans in doing so. They might just be a nuisance to his job and would only make his life even worse than it was. 

Moreover, he was _done_ with people dying in front of him. He had been dealing with murders and corpses enough and he would not dare it happen to someone close to him. 

Wait, was he saying that a soulmate _would_ be somebody close to him? That was dumb, he didn't see the thing as romantic, no matter how many times the witch of his friend said so. Like he had always said, soulmates were irrelevant, unimportant. 

“Sir! Roronoa, sir!” 

Clad in his navy blue police officer uniform, his golden badge clipped proudly on his right chest, Roronoa Zoro turned to the officer in duty with him, a permanent scowl in his face. The man flinched at his look despite the low lights around but he could care less. Zoro also wore a reflective vest with a large bold lettering of “POLICE” at the back. His cap cradled his green hair, as three dangling golden earrings chimed with his every move. 

The police officer stood upright, a hand barely touching his eyebrow. “A Sazaku B10 Breeze is traversing Highway 65 at 105 kilometers per hour, sir.” 

 _Overspeeding, huh?_ Zoro rolled his eyes. This was by far the most exciting thing in the night yet and he couldn't wait to give ticket to the person and get a move on. He sighed begrudgingly. 

“Right.” Zoro held onto one of the katanas clipped securely in his right side, almost subconsciously. Most people in the office had pistols or rifles as their weapons, but Zoro had always insisted that he use his three swords. He had a gun in his vest just to satisfy the higher ups, but that would only be pulled out when his swords were all discarded which didn't happen often. “Proceed in the perimeters. Turn the hazard lights on, now!” He barked an order as he went to his post as well. From afar, the lights from the overspeeding motorcycle could already be seen from where he stood. Zoro let out a scoff. The rider seemed to be a runaway at that point. 

 _1000 meters… 800 meters… 600 meters…_  

The bastard was going way too fast and if he would ignore his men, he would just ram in their post. Zoro wouldn't let that, and so he rode a patrol car himself. Usually, the police worked in a pair, but Zoro’s partner was also another jerk. Narcolepsy was an excuse to sleep deprived people. More so, they were supposed to bear the punishment as _partners_. Remembering all these just made him _extremely_ bitter. This overspeeding bastard would really get it tonight. 

“Sir!” The five officers with him scrambled as they reached him, the booming sound of the motorcycle nearing their post. 

The rider just zoomed away from the checkpoint, breaking the wooden barriers they had set up. It all happened in a split-second even before Zoro could pull out Wado from her sheath. The whole thing left the group of police gawking at the motorcycle which disappeared from their view as quickly as it went like air. 

“ _Shit!_ Follow that bastard!” Zoro yelled, quickly stepping on the gas pedal, his vehicle skidding violently against the asphalt, leaving the marks of burned rubber on it. He quickly got ahold of the wheel, accelerating towards the motorcycle from afar. The highway was unpopulated, and in about thirty kilometers, there would be a small town ahead. If they reach that place, it would be harder to chase the runaway. 

Zoro gritted his teeth and rushed even more, his eyes focusing only at the red lights of the motorcycle in front of him. The bastard was a fast driver, he could give that to him, but Zoro on the other hand was _faster_. He got an entire _car_ , what good could a two-wheeled vehicle do? 

Sirens of his comrades echoed around, and that prompted the motorist to accelerate more. Zoro grinned, licking his bottom lip. The more cornered the prey was, the better. He pushed on the pedal, skidding to the right side of the motor. 

It appeared that there was a passenger on the motorcycle. Zoro’s eyes squinted, as he went closer to the other vehicle, who swerved away from him. _Feisty_ , he thought. That would end soon, and Zoro turned on his radio. 

“Unit 3, pursue on the left side. Units 6 and 8, keep your positions at the back. We'll corner him at kilometer 326.” 

After saying his orders, the police cars positioned as told. It left the rider no way to escape, and a face-splitting grin was forming on Zoro’s face. Once, the driver turned to him, but _too bad,_ they were wearing a helmet. Zoro would've seen the despair painted on their face. 

A few meters left from the kilometer marker, as indicated by the GPS of the car. Zoro turned his car a little to the left, and that was the sign for the others to corner the rider. 

In no time, Zoro got in front of the motor, and one of the cars had occupied his recent position. They had successfully blocked all corners, as Zoro pulled over slowly, signaling the others to do the same. The motorcyclist was then forced to a halt, the wheels sliding against the road in a deafening screech. 

A victor, Zoro celebrated with a small smirk, as he went out of his vehicle. The rest of the cars that surrounded the motor also had the officers out, each of them holding out a pistol at the driver. 

“Fuck it. These shitty police.” 

Muffled curses reached Zoro’s ears making him snicker. By the tone of the voice, Zoro could now assume the driver to be a man; a _really_ gruff man. He had the softest _but_ firm baritone voice he had ever heard and with it coated with anger, made it even more pleasant to hear. Zoro knew he was finally going to have an eventful evening. 

Pulling a sword from its sheath, Zoro stepped forward, nearer to the man. His vision caught the passenger, who kept her head low, as if hiding from him. He knew that she was a woman, as her figure was more petite than the gruff man by having looked at it closer. Zoro then turned to the man, pointing the edge of his sword at him. 

The man begrudgingly flipped himself off of the motor, removing his helmet. He shook his head, running a hand on his golden hair. “Stay here, don't move.” 

The man turned to him, a scowl on his face. “The fuck? Who still uses a fucking sword at this era?”

Usually, no man ever lived to tell the tale of insulting how Zoro still had swords as his weapons. But right that moment, Zoro was staring at the offender. The point of his sword was trembling, and sweat trickled his forehead. _What is this? Why can't I breathe? The hell is happening?_

There was an overwhelming surge of energy in his chest when the striking ocean blue eye reached his own pair. That moment also sparked a reaction from the other, who slightly flinched from the eye contact. Zoro heard Kitetsu howl in his hand, which drew him back to reality. He then gripped the hilt of the katana and pulled back his composure. _Way to go to lose focus_. 

“I am, bastard. Why did you run from the checkpoint? Got something hidden? Or…” Zoro’s eyes landed on the woman's back, a frown on his lips before turning back to the blonde guy. “... Did you _kidnap_ her?” He growled, stepping forward. 

The eye of the man narrowed dangerously, his face flushing out of colors. “ _You_ … Shitty marimo!” The moment was too quick for the untrained eye, as sword and heel clashed. 

“You bastard don't know anything! You're around using your authority to corner people, shithead! You're a fucking trash!” The guy stretched his leg to kick Zoro’s sword off of him, his voice cracking. The other police officers clicked their guns, aiming at the blond’s head. They were the next target of the man’s icy glare. 

“Ah. Resulting to police violence, now, huh?” The man had his hands inside his pockets, Zoro observed and they were clenched inside.

Zoro wasn't about to falter at this man, and so he placed his sword back to its sheath in a swift motion, making the blond turn to him. “We wouldn't have resulted to this _if_ you didn't ditch the checkpoint, _sir_.” As much as he hated it, Zoro pulled out a notebook and a pen, scribbling his signature on it. 

“It was an _emergency_ , officer. My hazard light was on when I passed your post.” 

“ _Only_ when you passed my post?”

 _Got him._ The man gritted his teeth, inhaling sharply. “Look. I'm in a hurry. Do you need my license or something?” 

Zoro scoffed. “What's with the sudden change of attitude?” He stretched out his right palm, as the guy pulled out his license, never leaving his firm gaze. He noticed how fucked up the guy's eyebrow was. It was curled and he hadn't met anyone or heard of anybody who got that. What kind of screwed genes did the guy have? 

“You're an asshole.” The guy stepped away, as one of the police officers tapped his shoulder. They would have to collect some information so they could make a legitimate report. All of the units deployed to guard the checkpoint were there and chased him, so basically, he made their job harder. 

The license was finally in Zoro’s hand but it wasn't the name he was looking at but his own finger. His ring finger was _lit_ which was totally _fucked_. That wasn't lit the last time he checked. His heart pounded inside his chest as he scanned the licence. 

“ _Trafalgar Sanji._ ” The name was a mouthful. _Sanji_. The man’s name was _Sanji_. It was weird that Zoro liked knowing the name of the speedy asshole. He bit his cheeks as a punishment for himself. 

“Give the damn licence now, officer.” Sanji snatched the thing from his grasp and Zoro was partially thankful for him so he wouldn't have to _steal_ the fucking thing or take a picture even. His train of thoughts have been messed up lately, and he would blame it on the nightmares. 

Zoro had been in a daze for a while that he didn't notice that Sanji had already left. He was staring at the light around his finger, forming a ring. _What the actual fuck is this?_ As far as he could stretch his memory, nobody had been able to light it up until the fucking speedy bastard. He had eye contact with _everybody_ and never did it light up _except_ that time with the guy. 

 _What the fuck? Is he my soulmate?_ Zoro held his head and flipped the cap off of it. A thought suddenly entered his mind; he remembered the asshole calling him some unfamiliar name. Was it marimo? The hell was that even? Also, why would he think of that? Zoro’s mentality was in shambles. He had hoped of an adrenaline filled chase a while ago. For a few moments, yes it _was_ , not until the _asshole_. As redundant as it would be possible, _what the fuck_. 

About the dreaded soulmate thing, he just knew how inconvenient that would be. Who was that other person to decide who he was gonna stay with until his death? Why the heck would there be someone who would tie you down forever? Among his friends, only one of them had found his soulmate and through that, he found out how he didn't want that to him. Soulmates would feel each other's pain, only that it wouldn't manifest physically. They called it as the _reflect_ , which, by far, the _stupidest_ thing in the concept. 

“... noa, sir.” 

“What the fuck.” Zoro said absentmindedly, as the officer in front of him shot him a confused look. 

“Uh, sorry.” Roronoa Zoro took his eyes off of the ring and shook his head vigorously as if that would take the confusion away. He needed to clear his mind and he might sneak a booze later when he got back to the dorm where he was staying. This day was a total shit, he had to get it over. 

__________

 

Kicking the door of his car closed, Zoro checked his wrist for the time. _01:45 am_. And so he was told. It was already deep in the night, so he would assume that his roommates were already asleep. He cursed that _Sanji_ for putting in so much work in a single report. He'd been asked for more details about the man, but he imposed no threat to them, so he dismissed all the questions. Still, it didn't make it easier. He didn't even have dinner. 

Zoro dragged his feet towards the door, fumbling with the keys in hand, when suddenly, a bullet struck his arm. He instinctively ducked to defend himself from the rest of the bullets but none came. Who was in their right mind to attack _Zoro_? He hissed, gripping his left arm. He stood up cautiously, eying the dark neighborhood for his attacker. 

He unfortunately sensed _none_. Nobody seemed to be around, be it on the roof or around the streets. He passed all the roads towards their apartment and there was no single soul. He waited for a few minutes before going back to the door step, unlocking the door while keeping his senses up and alert. 

The apartment unit was dark, and he flicked the light switch on. It would be nasty to keep his arm bleeding, so he turned to check the wound. 

“ _What_.” Zoro found nothing in his arm. No wound, blood, gunshot hole or anything. His sleeve was literally spotless, but it stung anyways. The idea of why left a sinking feeling in his stomach. 

It must be a _reflect_. His soulmate must have found himself some trouble, but what kind of man would randomly get a gunshot? Zoro frowned at the lit ring around his finger. He didn't know where the bastard lived, more so why the fuck would he care? They were total strangers, who knew if the person was some kind of criminal? 

An idea ominously popped inside his head, but he quickly dismissed it. As part of the Intelligence Division, he could get access to information, but also as the member of it, he wouldn't use the power for his own personal gain. If he was to meet Sanji again, then so be it. If the man ended up dying sometime that night, it wouldn't be his responsibility. He might be miles away, he couldn't possibly trace him in a whim. 

Despite his inner protests, Zoro could only worry. He couldn't do much at that point. 

Reaching the room after a few wrong turns, Zoro spotted both of his roommates snoring like a bear on the bunk bed. His older roommate, also his _partner_ , lied like a starfish on the bottom bed. He was shirtless, as usual and there was a bag of chips on the floor. Zoro kicked the clutter out of his way, the faint light of his phone guiding him. 

Their younger roommate was also comfortable on the top bunk, much like the other one. The two were oddly similar, which made Zoro snort. Brotherhood was a weird thing.

At the sight of his own bed, Zoro let out a tired sigh, plopping himself on it like he had never done before. He was beyond exhausted, and he couldn't wait for this checkpoint police duty come to an end. He took another glance at his ring which still lit brightly. That was a good sign, it meant that the guy was still alive. He let the sleepiness conquer him as Zoro closed his eyes, his thoughts drifting to curly brows and blonde hairs. 

__________

 

“Luffy, get a move on more quickly, you'll be late!” 

It was still dark outside, and a lot of shuffling around him woke him up. The light on the ceiling forced his eyes to open, eliciting an annoyed groan from the green haired man. 

“I'm almost done!” 

Zoro flipped the half of his body upright, his hair sticking out to every direction possible. His eyes had noticeable black bags under and his corneas were bloodshot, as if he got drunk last night. A perpetual scowl painted on his face, as Zoro stared at the window. He glanced at the clock above it, the time indicating that it was 5:30 in the morning. 

Chewing an imaginary food, Zoro yawned, stretching his limbs as he robotically went out of the bed, following the noise from his roommates outside the bedroom. 

On the dining table was Luffy, the youngest in that apartment unit. He was a college student attending the Grand Line University and he was one of the primary people who always made Zoro’s head throb in pain. The little thing was also a music major and it was a wonder that the bastard was even studying. _Music_ of all things. Well, Luffy was full of surprises. Zoro couldn't believe how he was appointed as his first crew member of their pirate crew, when the guy had a ton of other friends to include in his bullshit. More so, Zoro couldn't believe he agreed. It might be because his swords were at stake during that time, but he wouldn't go deep into their history. What mattered was that Zoro cared for the kid unconditionally and perhaps, he would slice up anybody who dared to hurt him. 

Said kid lit up when they had an eye contact, making Zoro groan exhasperatedly. “Zorooooo! Good morning!~” Luffy sing-songed, his beam making the sun jealous. 

Zoro raised a hand to acknowledge him, taking a seat across him on the table. He lazily laid his cheek on his palm, watching Luffy’s brother, Ace, prepare their breakfast. 

“Oi, partner. You're already awake. It's our day-off, so Luffy was wondering about something.” 

Ace turned to them, his smile all gummy much like Luffy. For once, he wore a white shirt, but it was worn with the back on the front, the shirt’s neck looking much like it was trying to choke Ace. He was pouring a generous amount of milk on a cereal bowl before passing it to Luffy. 

The partner that Zoro supposed to have last night was _Ace_ , the god damned bastard. As fate liked it, he was also Luffy’s older brother, so Zoro respected him. He was also part of the unit Zoro was in, and he would admit that Ace was a very skilled fighter. He was more on the swords and killing part, and Ace was on the round housing and thinking part. Even if he didn't look like it, Ace was smart, he had a nice perception of things. When Ace felt like the suspect was on the second street, _the suspect was on the second street_. That simple. The only quirk in their tandem was that they were both rash. Zoro actually liked that because he didn't have to be pulled out or controlled. Their stubbornness even raised the stakes of them finishing their job, so he didn't find that as a problem.

“Yeah!” Luffy _inhaled_ the bowl of cereal, raising it towards Ace for another serving. “It's also Sunday, we don't have a class! I asked the others if we could go hang out today and Kaya says it's okay, so all I have to do is ask you! What do you say?” Luffy leaned towards him, his round eyes expectant. 

So that was why Luffy was already awake at the unholy hour of the day. Hangout with the others was usually filled with all kinds of bullshit but it was a good stress reliever anyways. He hadn't met the rest of the _crew_ for more than a week now, it wouldn't hurt to go and see them once. 

“Yeah, count me in.” Zoro muttered, digging in his spoon in the bowl. 

“Yosh! We'll take off at 6:30!” 

Ace pulled out a chair and finally sat down, his bowl between his hands. He was looking at Zoro with that stupid smile of his which usually meant that he knew his secrets or something. It was uncomfortable, so Zoro turned to him with a frown. “What?”

The smile evolved into a grin. “Nothin’. Just wondering about what happened to your patrol last night.” Ace scooped from the bowl and noisily chewed. 

Zoro squinted his eyes. “It wasn't a patrol. I was on a checkpoint unit at Highway 65. Smoker assigned me there because the elections are coming.” 

“Oh yeah.” Ace chuckled dryly. “I kinda slept on the way and thankfully someone kind enough called Luffy to come fetch me.”

Zoro snorted. “An attack in the most inconspicuous time, eh?” 

Across him, Luffy exploded in a laughter. “Ace slept in the middle of the intersection! People thought he was dead.” He then buried his face once again in the bowl to ravage the cereal. Ace shot him a glare. 

“So, what else happened?” Ace continued, a smirk now on his lips. For a moment there, he noticed how his eyes flicked on somewhere rather than him and Zoro unconsciously dropped the hand holding his spoon. It was his left hand which had the proudly lit ring. Ace might have noticed it. 

“A jackass drove over the speed limit and made us chase him. We did a long ass report at the end, that bastard.” Zoro held the bowl with his other hand and drank the remaining contents of it. It wouldn't be good for Ace to see him flushed. His body was kind of betraying him nowadays. 

The smirk widened, as Ace tapped the table with his finger. He obviously showed his hand which had its ring finger lit, the gesture putting Zoro at edge. “So you finally met the one, hm?” 

“The one? Who?” Luffy squeaked, looking between Zoro and Ace with a tilted head. 

Good for Luffy, his finger was not yet lit. He wouldn't need to deal with this soulmate nonsense. 

“Shut up.” It was Zoro’s immediate response to anything his brain couldn't figure out. He wouldn't tell who the fuck was it or even mutter a word about his damned soulmate. He would pretend as if nothing was lit up. 

Ace laughed heartily. _Bastard_. Only if he wasn't Luffy’s brother, he would have dragged him to hell already. 

“Aww.” Somehow, the energy within Luffy deflated as he leaned heavily on the chair. “I want to meet my soulmate, too.” 

Zoro rolled his eyes. “Soulmates are shit, Luffy. Why would you even _want_ one?” 

“It's awesome, Zoro! Someone to go see the world with? Someone you're _fated_ to be with? It's interesting! It's almost like… “ Luffy paused to think _really hard_ , his forehead creased. 

“... like an alliance!” 

Ace and Zoro stared at Luffy like he just spurted the biggest stupidity in the world. 

“How did you even come up with that thought… “ Ace slapped himself, but then laughed afterwards. 

Zoro shook his head. He could now see how chaotic the reunion with the other idiots would be. He couldn't wait to get out of the punishment and work on a case already. 

There was a shooting pain in his leg that happened so suddenly, he didn't even have the time to react. Zoro figured it to be another reflect. The breakfast ended with him, trying to stop himself from cursing with all the sudden pains in his legs. The bastard Sanji might be a good kicker, and since last night, this was the only time he got some reflect from him. 

As he was washing himself in the shower, the most painful blow was delivered against the back of his head. Zoro toppled forward that Ace and Luffy almost barged in the shower. 

“You doing okay there, man?” Ace knocked with his knuckles. 

Zoro gripped the sink as he rubbed the back of his head. That was some blow, and it might have made someone unconscious. More likely his soulmate. He hissed, as he raised himself up. “No biggie. I'm fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Just...” Zoro shouldn't have said the last word, that would totally make Ace glued against the door for an answer. 

“... some reflect.”

There was silence from the other side of the wall before Ace spoke up again. “You know, we can track down people.”

“No!” Zoro inhaled sharply. “I don't think that would've killed anybody. He's fine. I don't have to involve myself in some stranger's mess.” 

“If you say so.” 

The footsteps from Ace slowly vanished, as Zoro released the air he was holding. The shower was still on against his back, drenching him with cold water as he gripped the sink very tightly. He then found his strength to stand up again, staring at himself on the mirror. He was panting, the quick pain still ghosting against his skull. It was quiet on the other side and no more reflect plagued him. He glanced at his ring as a heavy relief washed over him. The man was still very much alive. Whatever trouble was that, somehow Zoro felt like that Sanji could handle it. Even without knowing him, he somehow trusted the man to be strong enough to protect himself. 

Zoro _felt_ an unyielding trust to a total stranger to which he just had a five-minute interaction. This was a total bullshit. How he wished to go back to the days his soul was still his own solely. 

 

__________

 

 

 


End file.
